Have you seen this bird?

This bird attacked me and I'm convinced he's out for my blood.

Etienne! The Hamster Movie!

Etienne!, 2009
dir. Jeff Mizushima
comedy, 90 mins


So when I saw the trailer for this movie, I was very excited. After all, it's quite exciting to have my hamster-centric cinematic dreams fulfilled, or so I thought.

The film was screened as portion of the touring CineVegas festival whose LA stop was at the very charming Silent Movie Theater. This only complimented the hipster crowd that filled the seats.

So the film begins and we're presented with a lovable protagonist and his best friend, Etienne, a hamster. Being the free spirited musician hipster, he decides to take his adorable mammal on a bike trip from San Francisco to Santa Cruz (my home and alma mater!) . Shot beautifully on video with minimal dialogue, this movie had a charm and warmth all its own. Lovely.

My problem arises when this movie's agenda shifts from telling a story about friends to Mizushima's guide on "how to be cool" and even worse, his wordy guide to life. He makes sure to dress his characters in the latest unlaundered clothing trends.He also brings focus to the protagonist's obnoxious ironic mustache that happens to be the choice facial hair failure of todays young men. The indie music soundtrack bring resemblance to a Wes Anderson movie, but musician cameos (The Great Northern) counter any sort of effortless style. Sadly, all of these hip details only dated what could've been a timeless story about friends.

A good try, but just a touch too much naive hipster vomit for me.

Privacy break

Hello,

I'm back from a brief break.

After Michael Jackson's death, I began to realize how much we take privacy for granted. From Facebook to Twitter to other media, we are beginning to be such extroverted creatures that we are beginning to give our privacy up willingly. So in order to respect my own and that of others, I took some time to myself. Now, however, I'm ready to get my writing shoes back on.

It's good to be back!

My Favorite Michael Jackson Album

sending my prayers

Skydiving, a trip for those of us who need to be reminded that we're alive

Within the tiny plane...

Tempting fate

An IPhone 3G - Exploded View

From Apple Insider

Girl in Training

My life has increasingly become more and more bicycle-centric. Truly, from weekend trips just for bikes, to spending afternoon in bike shops, and the fact that nearly all of my friends have bikes, every day has charged onto a new plane of bike geekdom.

This morning, I went on a "training ride" with Mike. Since he trains much harder than me, I can only ride with him on his "recovery rides" where he TRIES to go slow.

We biked down to the marina on the bikepath that is already scattered with cyclists.

On one particular stretch, Mike advises that I go "as fast as I can." I do this. His encouraging "pedal! pedal! pedal!" are reciprocated with my panting "I'm going as fast!"

He only says "If you can still talk, you're not going fast enough!" At which point the empty parking lot we were in seemed like the tallest steepest hills.

It was a good torture ride.

Who Is You? #17

Because of you, I returned the jeans, the shirt, and the purse to American Rag.



You = Pinarello FP3 in pink

Channeling Gidget

Oh, Gidget, you trendsetter. From sailor chic to boyfriend clothing, you've effortlessly fashioned your tomboy classification into an ultra girly timeless style.

Who Is You? #17

You get me upset for no reason at all.



You = The Lakers because they just do.

Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield, CA is everything you have heard it was and more. Middle America is in the air here with farming and petroleum being the largest industries. Meth addicts, XXL shorts, hardworking farmers all find home here. For the most part, people drive through while traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This past weekend, it was the location of Mike and Jason's most recent road races. Muscle-y racers from across California met to prove who was the fastest in spandex.



However, these races are early in the morning leaving much of Saturday to our own devices. I decided that I wanted to go to thrift stores.



With a couple internet searches on my trusty EyePhone, I was able to locate the 3 best thrift stores in the area. My favorite being R.A.D. Such an appropriate name for a wonderful store that not only sells everything less than $2, but also marks them 30-50% off on Saturdays. With just $3, I was able to score a couple vintage-y tanks and some shorts.

Afterwards we were advised to explore the "downtown" area. We passed maybe 4 more thrift stores, but we wanted sandwiches instead. We went to the Sequoia Sandwich shop which had sponsored Mike's race. There we were joined by other bike aficionados and their hairless legs. There weren't that many locals besides most of the bike racers that were in for the event.

From there, we walked to a pawn shop where they sold some quality electronics and then to a vintage consignment store. We were greeted with many talkative shopowners which was pleasant. However, we couldn't help but notice that the residents of Bakersfield were very eager to sell their possessions. It seemed that the only thriving businesses were secondhand shops. Sad, actually.



Once again, we wake up at 5:30a to head out to the race course. While Mike raced 31 miles around the scenic oil rigs and cattle of Bakersfield, I hung out with bike buddies, Gary and Megan as Gary prepped for his race. Bike small talk all around as we can't help but see the 40 or so other riders also getting ready: pinning numbers to their jerseys, snacking, putting on their spandex, warming up, rubbing their BUTT BUTTER onto their lower region (to prevent chafing supposedly)... ugh. I could do without having to see that. Soon enough, Mike crossed the finish line in a sprinting pack to conclude his days in Cat 5. Woo!



Now that we were both hungry, we went to Zingo's Cafe, the breakfast choice for the locals. Plenty of big rigs, Harleys and minivan filled with overweight families. This was the place. We enjoyed our breakfast with pie and the wait staff was extremely friendly.

Tummies filled, we drove back to LA, in traffic.

Today's June Gloom Remedy

Tom Yum Soup

Paris je t'aime

In no particular order












Photos by Lorenzo DeGuia and Allen Skyy Enriquez

Disappointed

I'm slightly disappointed, yet honored, that my favorite people-watching game, "Hipster or Hobo" has now become a promotional event for hipsters across LA.

Nevertheless, I will still patrol the streets with my buds and still guess whether you, bearded man with a flannel shirt, or girl with dirty canvas shoes and torn jeans, are hipsters or hobos.

Wario Land - Shake It

http://www.youtube.com/wariolandshakeit2008

Click...and enjoy!

TLC Summer Ice Cream Truck

My friend Shirley designed the TLC (The Learning Channel) Summer Ice Cream trucks to help promote their summer line up. These trucks are coming around giving out free ice cream and beer cozies. Odd I know, but everyone loves ice cream especially when it's free!

Sailing

So, I'd gone to Paris. People would probably like to see those but I don't have them yet. Here are those sailing photos I promised a few weeks ago. Will update soon. Hopefully.

Here we are on Bute's Nameless Boat in the Santa Monica Bay.


Our unlikely captain, Ryan Bute

My fantastic weekend

Yes, it was majestic... full of kareoke, sailing and backyard bbqs. Glorious and sunny. Will post photos soon.

24 Hours until Paris

and despite 15 sneeze salute and the tablespoon of wasabi i just ate, my sinuses are still congested.

The reason why I'm laughing so loud